


What Tony Stark Missed

by hcb53139 (ravinghazelnut)



Category: Iron Man - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Multiverse, Onscreen Abuse, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:13:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6858241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravinghazelnut/pseuds/hcb53139
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Tony from an alternate universe suddenly appears in Tony’s lab, bearing happy childhood memories of loving parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Tony Stark Missed

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews please! I'm not too happy about this one, but I just had to write it.

“So…this is you,” Steve says slowly, eyebrows raised and arms crossed, “From a different universe.”

“Yes, Captain,” Tony says, miming boredom, “I was messing around with something in the lab, and suddenly he–I– appeared out of nowhere.”

They stand for another few seconds, staring at the unconscious body of Another Tony Stark lying on the floor of the Original Tony Stark’s workshop. 

“I guess we should move him.” Steve finally concedes with a sigh, and moves forward to lift him. 

…

When Another Tony Stark wakes up, he’s on the common area’s couch and the team is scattered around, all perking up as soon as he moved a hair. 

Original Tony Stark just sits in the recliner, being uncharacteristically quiet and casting Another Tony Stark curious glances. 

“So you guys aren’t my fiancé or my team, since there’s another one of me here. I mean, it’s all cool and stuff, but I really want to go back ‘cause–okay, This Universe me, you have a lot on your plate too, right?” Another Tony Stark starts babbling, and that’s probably the only thing in common with Original Tony Stark that he has (other than the good looks, and money, probably), “Oh, shit! Did I leave the Bunsen Burner on when I got transported–”

“You have a fiancé?” Original Tony Stark can’t help but cut in.

“Yeah,” Another Tony Stark’s expression immediately softens, “Pepper. She’s amazing. Wait, you have a Pepper in this universe too, right?”

“Yes. Can you tell us a bit more about your universe?” Natasha quickly cuts in so that they won’t need to have the painful conversation about how the Tony in this universe had drowned in alcohol and locked himself in his lab when he broke up with Pepper. 

Tony zones out then. He can’t honestly be envious of _himself_ , can he? But somehow he was, because Another Tony Stark didn’t mess up, he wasn’t a fuck-up like he was–is. He managed to hold on to Pepper.

He has the sudden overwhelming urge to curl up into a ball and sob, all alone, like he always has, but the sting of tears in the back of his eyes bring back painful memories. 

_“Stark men don’t cry, Anthony,” Howard had said, words slurred due to his drunken state._

Tony can still feel the sting on his cheek, and he can still hear the sound of the scotch glass shattering on the wall inches from his head when he accidentally let another small sob pass through his lips.

When he finally snaps back to the present, Another Tony Stark is keeping the team laughing (even Natasha) with his stories about his childhood. 

“And then there was this one time, Dad brought Mom and I to the Plaza for Christmas, but it was so formal and agonizingly boring that at the end of the night, Dad bought a pack of bubble bath, poured it in the fountain in the middle of Times Square, and jumped in!” Fondness, longing, joy, and hint of sadness filled Another Tony Stark’s voice. 

Tony can’t help but feel something like anger and hatred towards this man, because how was it fair that he got a childhood filled with bubble baths and laughing and probably something cheesy like family picnics, while all he himself got were the cigarette burn marks that wouldn’t fade on parts of his skin or the haunting nightmares filled with Howard’s verbal (and physical) abuse. 

Now the team turned to him.

“Stark,” Clint starts, crossing his arms, “You’re always going off about who much you hate your Daddy, but I guess it just turns out that you’re just a spoiled and ungrateful brat.” There’s a bit of a joking tone, but Tony flinches. 

“Yeah, I knew that Howard was a good man. I don’t see why you refuse to tell us anything about your childhood. Tony, you should be ashamed of yourself; you made your father out to be such a bad man, but he was nothing but wonderful according to this Tony.” Steve adds in, and Tony scans the room, and the whole team is nodding their agreement, while Another Tony Stark just sits there and looks at him questioningly. 

Clint narrows his eyes at Tony a little, and they turn back to Another Tony Stark to wait for whatever other great happy memories he had lined up for them. 

“He used to make me hold glass when he was drunk, and then he would hold my hands in his and squeeze as tightly as he could.” Tony blurts out before he can stop himself, and his eyes widen in horror. Shit. Everything that he’d did his best to keep from the team, everything that he’s done so that they wouldn’t look at him with pity and like he was a vulnerable victim, has gone to absolute shit. 

Now everybody’s attention was back on him. 

“When I was four, he came home drunk and held my head under the water while he screamed for Steve to come back and for God to ‘take him in exchange’,” Tony can’t seem to stop as he makes air quotes, “I couldn’t get out until he passed out.”

“Tony–” Steve starts to say worriedly, but Tony continues as if he hasn’t heard anything. 

“When I was eight, Howard trapped me in a closet via nailing my hand to the wall with a kitchen knife. A maid found me, but he paid her to keep quiet,” Tony looks quite pale now, but his mouth keeps moving without his permission. 

“When I was fourteen, Howard paid the tabloids to make it seem like I went on vacation to Hawaii but actually he locked me in the basement for a week and kicked me when he was bored.”

“What the fuck?” Clint swore softly under his breath.

Tony’s brain doesn’t register the movement as he lifts his shirt and shows them the side of his body, filled with small circular burns. 

“It was bad at first when he started putting out the cigarettes on me,” He hears himself explain, “I got used to it, though.”

“This was from when he tore apart DUM-E the first time I showed it to him,” Tony starts softly again, pointing to a large scar on the side of his head that was mostly covered by hair but was particularly visible and haunting now that Tony had pointed it out. “He got drunk and knocked my head into the table, 

“Look, I could go on, but it would just warrant even more unwanted nightmares,” Tony says and he rubs his face with his hand as he looks at the team who had all gone rigid. 

“And you,” He turns to Another Tony Stark, “You lucky bastard. I fucking hate you, you know that?” 

“No, no,” Another Tony Stark says uncomprehendingly, “That’s not possible. You’re delusional. Howard’s not like that, he’s kind and loving and supportive and–”

“Howard?” Tony mocks, “He would probably kill me if I ever called him _Howard_.”

Silence. 

“I guess I hate Tony Stark in every universe.” Tony says and leaves the room.

Silence.


End file.
